What do nurses think about the outlook of the nursing profession? What they wish the public knew about their job? We wanted to find the answers to these and other questions. Thanks to our members who participated in a survey, we now have the latest results of what real nurses think. Read to see what you think about the first results to be published.

New Survey Says Nurses Are Bullish on the Industry Outlook and Encourage People to Enter the Field

EXCELSIOR, Minn., Aug. 26, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- A survey from allnurses.com, the largest online networking and support site for nurses, reveals that the majority of nurses (74 percent) think the job outlook for the nursing industry is positive. Nearly three quarters of respondents (72 percent) would recommend that a person go into the nursing field, and the overwhelming majority (82 percent) believe that the nursing industry has a positive perception in society today.

"There are many misperceptions about nurses, the role they play, and the industry overall," said Brian Short, Founder of allnurses.com, and a registered nurse himself. "These survey results - which are quite positive - provide a more accurate and up to date look into what nurses think, and indicate areas where patients and nurses can work more closely together."

Of particular importance, said Short, is the critical role that nurses play in serving as the patient's advocate. He encourages patients and their families to talk to their nurses as they are the closest to the patient and work hand in hand with doctors to deliver the best and most appropriate care.

Forty percent of nurses said the single biggest challenge they face today is the nurse-to-patient ratio. Nurses want to spend more time at the bedside, but administrative duties and having too many patients can keep them from doing so. Nurses also believe that patients and their families are confused when it comes to knowing the role nurses play vs. that of physicians, with less than 10 percent of nurses thinking that patients understand the difference.

When asked what makes an ideal nurse, respondents ranked knowledgeable, compassionate and patient advocate as the most important characteristics. Gallup polls show that nurses are consistently ranked the highest among other professions for trustworthiness and credibility.1 When nurses were asked to weigh in on which hospital TV shows most closely resemble "real life," it was a close race among the long-running ER and Grey's Anatomy hospital dramas and the more recently launched documentary-style program, NY Med.

More than 1,600 nurses and registered members of allnurses.com completed the survey, with the majority of them (47 percent) working in hospital settings. Recent estimates show that between 2008 and 2010 there were approximately 2.8 million registered nurses (RNs) and 690,000 licensed practical nurses (LPNs) in the United States.2 Registered nurses are the largest sector of employees in the healthcare industry.3

ABOUT ALLNURSES
Founded by Minnesota Registered Nurse, Brian Short, allnurses.com is the leading networking site for nurses and nursing students. For nearly 20 years, allnurses.com has been the collective voice of the nursing community, supporting the profession by providing a place where nurses can network, share, and learn from each other. With an ever-growing community of more than 825,000 registered members, allnurses.com is the go-to place to communicate and discuss nursing, jobs, schools, NCLEX, careers, and so much more. For more information, visit allnurses.com.

2The US Nursing Workforce: Trends in Supply and Education. Health Resources and Services Administration. National Center for Health Workforce Analysis, April 2013. Accessed August 8, 2014Page not found | Bureau of Health Workforce

Press release: People who take polls on allnurses obviously don't read posts on allnurses.

Rather, WHERE were these posters??? Did they know about the poll?

Sep 6, '14

When nurses were asked to weigh in on which hospital TV shows most closely resemble "real life," it was a close race among the long-running ER and Grey's Anatomy hospital dramas and the more recently launched documentary-style program, NY Med.

Was “none of the above” one of the options when answering this question? I haven’t watched Grey’s Anatomy in years, but I don’t remember any nurses in it. Just doctors doing pretty much everything patient-related, during the brief moments when they weren’t busy amusing themselves in the on-call room or off gossiping somewhere Not exactly what I’d call “real life”

When asked what makes an ideal nurse, respondents ranked knowledgeable, compassionate and patient advocate as the most important characteristics.

Which were the other characteristics you could choose from? Or could the respondents answer this question in their own words? What other questions were included in the questionnaire?

More than 1,600 nurses and registered members of allnurses.com completed the survey, with the majority of them (47 percent) working in hospital settings.

Do you have any other demographic data on the cohort to share with us? Age, gender, number of years practicing as a nurse, location (rural vs big city, part of country etc.), level of education and so on? Any differences in answers noted in the different groups?

Was the possession of an active nursing license verified for all respondents? Did you get a representative sample of nurses? How many were initially invited to participate in the survey (response rate) and how were the candidates initially identified/selected?

I think it’s very interesting to find out more about how nurses think, but the way the result of this survey is presented here, to me raises more questions than it answers

Last edit by macawake on Sep 6, '14
: Reason: added a quote

Sep 6, '14

I would not encourage others to enter the nursing field. The NY/NJ/CT market is highly impacted with many new and experienced nurses seeking employment. CA has around 48% unemployment rate for nurses. LTC is demanding BSN/RN even though LPNs could easily perform the job... Because it's an employer's market and they can.

I think it’s very interesting to find out more about how nurses think, but the way the result of this survey is presented here, to me raises more questions than it answers

Not "nurses." Members of allnurses. I think we know there's a difference.

Sep 6, '14

This survey was sent out by email to all members in July, so all of you had an opportunity to share your thoughts. The folks who participated were allnurses members....just like you!

Here is the contents of the email which contained to survey link.

We want to hear from you! We love the ongoing comments and great discussions you participate in everyday on allnurses.com. Part of our mission is to broadly promote the nursing profession and the dedicated and talented people who make up that community. Please take a few minutes to complete a 15-question survey on the nursing industry. We understand that your job as a nurse is complicated and challenging. This survey is designed to understand your view of the nursing industry and share it with general consumers without oversimplifying it, but in a way they might better understand. All answers will remain confidential. Your feedback is appreciated!

The intent of the survey was not to insult nursing professionals in any way by making you think what you do has ever been accurately portrayed by any TV show. Your responses here have made it very clear that the media does not do a good job in realistically depicting the vast and complicated roles of the nursing profession.

More results from the survey will be presented.

We do appreciate your input. We hope you will participate in future surveys.